Rhode Island FC fought back from a two-goal deficit for the first time ever on Friday, capping a dramatic 3-3 draw vs. Indy Eleven with a late equalizer in second-half stoppage time in front of a packed Beirne Stadium. A second-half brace from Frank Nodarse and a second goal of the season from Providence native Isaac Angking marked the third straight match RIFC has scored three or more goals, rescuing a dramatic point in the final moments.

Capitalizing on what was Indy’s (9W-5L-3D) first shot on target of the match, the visitors struck first in the 20th minute. It happened when Laurence Wootton got on the end of Cam Lindley’s free kick that was played short to the top of the 18-yard box, and placed a low right-footed effort through traffic that took a deflection before finding its way past Jackson Lee and into the far side netting to give Indy the early advantage.

The Boys in Blue didn’t take long to double their lead, striking again just eight minutes later when Romario Williams found a streaking Elliot Collier with an aerial through ball into the center of the box. Poaching the ball out of the air with a smooth first touch to put himself one-on-one with Lee from close range, Collier’s second touch powered its way past Lee’s outstretched hands and into the back of the net to put the visitors up 2-0 going into the halftime break.

Rhode Island FC (3W-4L-10D) came out of the gates strong in the second half, forcing two consecutive saves from Indy goalkeeper Hunter Sulte in the first five minutes. The first came when JJ Williams’ cross into the box from the left flank was poked away by the Indy shot-stopper, before a follow-up effort at the near post was also scooped up. Then, in the 51st minute, Sulte denied a long range effort from Williams once again with a full-stretch save, palming the powerful shot over the crossbar.

RIFC took advantage of its early momentum on the ensuing corner when a dangerous ball was played into the six-yard box by Marc Ybarra. Outjumping the crowded area, Nodarse headed the ball into the back of the net from point-blank range to make it a one-goal match early in the second half.

Moments later, the RIFC attack continued to come alive when Albert Dikwa “Chico” narrowly missed a diving header over the bar, coming within inches of an equalizer. In the 58th minute, Stephen Turnbull came equally as close, recycling a corner kick opportunity and curling a shot just over the crossbar from the corner of the box.

Eventually, RIFC would capitalize on one of its set piece opportunities in the 70th minute. Linking up in a near-identical fashion to the first goal, Ybarra’s inswinging corner kick once again found the head of Nodarse at the near post, who powered it home from close range to bring the Ocean State club level.

Despite the momentum shift, Indy once again found a way to retake the lead with just 11 minutes to play, springing on a counter attack to score the go-ahead goal. Sprinting down the right flank after winning the ball in the midfield, Douglas Martinez completed his run with a well-weighted cross into the middle of the box for Tyler Gibson, who powered the first-time finish into the bottom corner to give the visitors their second lead of the night.

Finally, four minutes into second half stoppage time, Providence native Isaac Angking was the hero for RIFC, drilling Jojea Kwizera’s goal-line pass into the roof of the net from the top of the six-yard box to rescue a point in dramatic fashion. Scoring in one of the last kicks of the match, Angking’s goal kept RIFC’s four-match unbeaten streak alive as a back-and-forth match finished level at three.

Up next, RIFC will hit the road for the first of two straight matches away from Beirne Stadium as it prepares to take on Miami FC on Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m. Fans can join in cheering on the club at the Official RIFC Watch Party at Newport Craft Brewing, or tune in on ESPN+. Following the road stretch, RIFC returns home to Beirne Stadium on Saturday, July 27 when it hosts North Carolina FC at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the next home match are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

IND – Laurence Wootton (Cam Lindley), 20th minute: Wootton slots home Lindley’s set piece play through traffic. RI 0, IND 1

IND – Elliot Collier (Romario Williams), 28th minute: Collier pokes home Williams’ ball into the 18-yard box. RI 0, IND 2

RI – Frank Nodarse (Marc Ybarra), 52nd minute: Nodarse buries the close-range header from Yabrra’s corner kick. RI 1, IND 2

RI – Frank Nodarse (Marc Ybarra), 70th minute: Nodarse buries his second header of the night, once again from a Yabrra corner kick. RI 2, IND 2

IND – Tyler Gibson (Douglas Martinez), 88th minute: Gibson slots a shot into the bottom left corner, finishing Martinez’s counter-attacking run. RI 2, IND 3

RI – Isaac Angking (Jojea Kwizera), 90+4th minute: Angking drills a powerful effort into the roof of the net from close range. RI 3, IND 3

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The draw marked the first time in club history RIFC came back from a two-goal deficit to earn a result.
• Frank Nodarse’s brace was the second multi-goal match in club history. He is now tied with Nosh Fuson for second on the team with three goals.
• Isaac Angking’s goal was his second for RIFC, with both coming in the last three matches. He remains the first and only Rhode Island native to score for RIFC, and became the seventh player to record multiple goals for the club. 
• Marc Ybarra and Nodarse combined for the first two RIFC goals of the match. It was the first time that the same two players combined for multiple goals in a single match in club history.
• Ybarra’s pair of assists to Nodarse were the first and second of his RIFC career.
• Jojea Kwizera’s stoppage-time assist to Angking was his second of the season, and fourth goal contribution in the last three matches.
• Zack Herivaux made his Rhode Island debut in the second half after being signed on July 3, coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute.
• Defender Grant Stoneman made his RIFC return for the first time in 13 matches after being sidelined due to injury in late March, coming in as a substitute in the 83rd minute.
• The six total goals marked the highest-scoring match at Beinre Stadium this season.
• RIFC has now scored 13 goals in its last four matches, after netting 11 through the first 12. The Ocean State club has scored three or more goals in its last three matches.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Frank Nodarse

Match stats and information available here.